School-desk



' (No Model.)

. 0. B Tow Y L SCHOOL DESK]?- Patented May 21 1889 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. TOlVLE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SCHOOL-DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,796, dated May 21, 1889.

Application filed September 11, 1888. Serial No. 285,130. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. TOWLE, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in School-Desks; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the class of schooldesks and it consists in the constructions and combinations of devices which I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view, the

slidingtop beingdrawn back. Fig. 2 is afront view showing the fixed and the sliding top. Fig. 3 is a bottom View of one side of the top. Fig. 4 is a side view of the desk-leg. Fig. 5 is a detail of the foot-rest.

A are the sides of the desk, having the leg portions 66. B is the fixed top of the desk, secured rigidly to the sides.

C is an adjustable or sliding top, said top having at each end a guide-cleat, c, the inner face of which is grooved and fits over the eorrespondingly-rounded edges of the fixed top 13, so that said adjustable or sliding top may be moved over the fixed top, either to or from the pupil, it being limited in its forward movement by the back piece, a, of the desk, and in its backward movement by the small lug a cast on the side A, with which a cutout portion or shoulder, c, on the cleat 0 comes in contact, Fig. 3. A space, represented by 3 5 D, is left between the two tops, and serves as a receptacle for a slate or blank-book or other flat articles used by the pupil.

E is a receptacle for books, said receptacle being formed and inclosed by the back piece 0 of the desk, the sides A, and the pieces 6. Access is had to this receptacle through an opening or aperture, 1), which is formed in the top B of the desk, said aperture being closed when the sliding top C is moved forward, and

only exposed when the said top is moved back toward the pupil.

F is the place or receptacle for the pens, pencils, &c., and the ink-well G, this being attached to or formed in the fixed top B. It

is thus covered by the sliding top, and also exposed thereby, in the same manner as the aperture or opening by which access is had to the book-receptacle E. It will thus be seen that the sliding or adjustable top C serves, when moved forward to place, as a complete and perfect top for the desk, and as a cover for the book-receptacle, and for the place for the pens, pencils, and ink-well; and, furthermore, said sliding top serves, when drawn toward the pupil, as an arm-rest for either arm, and it may be drawn into as close proximity to him as he may desire. When in this position, he may readily reach his books through the opening Z), and his pens,pencils, and inkwell are exposed and within convenient reach. By this construction of the adjustable sliding top, operating as described, there will be no opportunity for the pupil to leave articles upon the top of the desksuch as pens or pencils-as there is no place for them; but they must be placed in the proper receptacle before the sliding top is moved forward to place.

The sliding top is not liable to be disfigured by drops of ink, as these will fall upon the under top as the pen leaves the ink-well.

The sliding top is held in place when pushed forward by any suitable latches-such as I have here represented by H-which are pivoted to the guide-cleats of the sliding top and engage the catches h, secured to the back piece of the desk.

K is the foot-rcst, at each end of which are secured the irons 7;, with arms 7c. From the outer faces of these arms project pins L, and on each side thereof other pins, Z, which are shorter than the middle pins, L. In the legs of the desk are made a vertical series of holes, M, located in inclined rows, and above and below these holes are cast stop-lugs N. In one leg of the desk the holes are more numerous than in the other leg, so as to allow the three pins of the arm on one side of the footrest to go into the holes, thus allowing the arm on the other end to pass on the inside of the desk-leg freely. Then by moving the footrest longitudinally, the center pin of the arm on the free side enters one of the holes, while by this movement the short end pins of the other arm withdraw from the holes into which they had entered, leaving only the longer middle pin in its hole. Thus the arms are pivoted by their middle pins, their short-er pins working freely over the inner surface of the legs, and, coming in contact with the stoplugs N, hold the foot-rest at the proper inclination. The pins on the arm at one end are necessarily longer than the corresponding pins on the arm at the other end, -so that though moved back again by the movement of the foot-rest when having its other end seated they will still be long enough to remain in proper position-that is to say, the center pin in the hole and the end pins in line with the stop-lugs, so as to come in contact therewith. The foot-rest may thus be held in place for use, and by a slight movement or kick of the foot can be turned upward out of the way, its end pins serving in both cases as limitingstops to hold it in place. The foot-rest may also be moved forward or back or up or down bodily, being seated in any of the holes of the series.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a desk, and in combination with the fixed top thereof, an adjustable top fitted and adapted to slide on the fixed top to or from the person and separated from said fixed top, whereby a space is left between them, substantially as herein described.

2. In a desk, the legs thereof having a vertical series of inclined rows of holes and projecting stop-lugs above and below said holes, in combination with the foot-rest having the end arms with projecting pins adapted to fit in said holes, and shorter projecting pins on opposite sides of the longer pins adapted to come in contact with the stop-lugs, substan-- tially as herein described.

3. In a desk, and in combination with the legs thereof, having a vertical series of inclined rows of holes with projecting stop-lugs above and below each row, in combination with the foot-rest having the end arms with projecting pins adapted to fit the holes, and shorter projecting pins to come in contact with the stop-lugs, substantially as herein described.

4. In a desk, the legs thereof having holes morenumerous in one leg than in the other and projecting stop-lugs above and below said holes, in combination withlthe foot-rest having the end arms with projecting pins adapted to fit the holes of the legs, and shorter pins on each side of the first-named pins adapted to come in contact with the stop-lugs, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES E. TOWLE.

Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, H. 0. LEE. 

